What Brought Us Together

To Celebrate Life (Part 1)

"We don't have to do this, not today," Tatum says, urging East to get back into the car.

"Shit will only get worse if we let it linger. I gotta do this Tay. I gotta make shit right," He tells her, addressing his service uniform that he had to wear for today.

A long while ago when Kelvin died, he didn't go to the funeral because it hurt too much. He didn't go to neither of their funerals because it hurt too damn much. Today was Kelvin's birthday and since he knew that Kelvin's wife, Kim lived in Philadelphia, he decided to finally pay his respects to Kelvin and to his wife.

Paying respects and offering the last pieces of their items goes towards the family. For instance, when a policeman dies, the wife or husband of the deceased can either keep their badge for keepsake. In the military, in certain branches and department, they can give the wife or husband of the deceased something in return. In East's case, he was giving Kim Kelvin's wings pin.

He took it off just so he can have a piece of Kelvin with him but it was doing him more harm than good. Besides, his wings belonged to his wife and he returned it to her. He showed up in his uniform; a uniform Kelvin still would still be wearing if that invasion didn't happen.

After going to Kelvin's family home, he drove to Tatum's father's house. After feeling the sadness, guilt, and remorse from everything that he caused in Tatum's life, he felt like apologies were in order. First stop, her father.

He knocked on the door, holding Tatum's hand before taking a few steps back from the door. While they wait, Tatum just hopes and prays that her father is understanding, or can at least try to be. Tatum and East were so focused on the arrival of her father that they didn't peep him look through his blinds first to see who was at his door.

East knocked again because he was getting impatient and truly, he wanted to get this over with so it can all be out of his system. The locks finally interchange and then the door opened. Tatum squealed at what she saw, jumping behind her husband in fear as her father greeted East with a shotgun pointed to his body.

"Sir, I just wanna talk," East lifts his hands up in surrender, not making a face.

"Daddy put the gun down!" Tatum pleaded, clutching East's jacket as she remained behind him.

"He swung a gun in my grandbabies face, had them scared shitless, had my daughters scared shitless, and even had you scared shitless. He ain't scared of this gun, now Tatum getcha' bony ass up out the way," He says calmy, his eyes never leave East's.

"Daddy he's been getting help! He's been in therapy and he's doing much better and..." She began to plead his case to her father so he could put the gun down but he wasn't hearing her.

He cocked the gun and that made her stand in front of East. East was trying to move her out the way but she held the railing to keep herself in place.

"Tatum move out of Daddy's way," A familiar voice said and it made her turn around and roll her eyes. That voice belonged to True who was on the end of the stairs with a smirk on her face.

With Tatum standing in front of him and with his arms still in surrender, he says, "You did a tour in Afghanistan and seen some spooky stuff. You may not have gone through what I've gone through or seen what I seen but soldier to soldier, you know things can get pretty nasty in the time of war. Whatever demons I been fighting over in Vietnam I brought it home and Tatum and the rest of y'all's family have been effected by my demons..." He gently move Tatum out of the way and back behind him and held her waist like that.